Artist: 65daysofstatic
Title: We Were Exploding Anyway
Label: Hassle
Genre: Electronic
Bitrate: 213kbit av.
Time: 00:51:07
Size: 81.66 mb
Rip Date: 2010-04-24
Str Date: 2010-04-28
01. Mountainhead 5:33
02. Crash Tactics 3:47
03. Dance Dance Dance 4:01
04. Piano Fights 3:50
05. Weak04 3:54
06. Come To Me 8:00
07. Go Complex 4:04
08. Debutante 7:21
09. Tiger Girl 10:37
Release Notes:
There is a lot to be said for bands stepping out of the spotlight and
taking a long hard look at what theyÆve done in their careers thus far
- particularly after an album that was radically different to anything
theyÆd done before.
65daysofstatic have finally returned, but this is after a lengthy
period of absence. Having released their magnum opus æOne Time For All
TimeÆ in 2005, the band returned two years later with their third
record, æThe Destruction of Small IdeasÆ. Out went the emphasis on
glitchy, unpredictable rhythms, in came some more piano. It became the
focal point of the groupÆs sound on an album that was decidely mixed.
Their output up to that point had been nothing short of stellar, but
there were a number of wrong moves made on æDestructionÆ. One of these
was its flat production. ThereÆs no telling the heights the record
could have reached if it had been produced better. As it was, though,
it was still quite decent.
æWe Were Exploding AnywayÆ has been described as the band as ænot as
wilfully epic as the last [album]Æ. TheyÆre right in that: but they
left out the part where the album æis a near-complete reinvention of
our soundÆ - because it is. Trust me on this one.
The quartet (Joe Shrewsbury, Paul Wolinski, Rob Jones, Simon Wright)
sound hardly anything like they used to; less post-rock and now more
post-electro than anything else. This shift in focus has done wonders
for them, because æWe Were Exploding AnywayÆ is, in a word,
sensational.
Pounding electronic drums open the record, as æMountainheadÆ comes to
life, its stop-start rhythms (owing to part of the song being written
in a 17/8 time signature) combining with hook-filled synth lines and
choppy guitars as the track moves through a multitude of different
sections. It seems to last for much longer than its
five-and-a-half-minute running time, as just so much is achieved.
The rhythms soften, becoming more gentle before segueing into lead
single æCrash TacticsÆ, a track reminiscent of The Prodigy - and if you
thought such a comparison would never be made in a 65 review, well,
hold on to your hats as there are further surprises in store.
Cinematic, sweeping strings announce the aptly-monikered æDance Dance
DanceÆ, which builds into a frenzied cataclysm, Rob JonesÆ propulsive
drums leading the song towards a sublime moment of release, where the
guitars come crashing in and rush it along to a breakneck finish.
æPiano FightsÆ, one of the songs the band debuted last year, is the
song here thatÆs most reminiscent of early material, a slab of towering
math-rock, the likes of which they have done so well in the past. It
wouldnÆt have sounded out of place on æDestructionÆ, in fact.
The band seem to have left their æThe Fall of MathÆ days behind them.
These nine songs find them moving out into new territory, and the best
example of this is æCome to MeÆ, which features Robert Smith on vocals
and slots into the running order very well indeed after the intensity
of æWeak4Æ. An infectious piano line reveals itself after the song is
ushered in by atmospherics, then the song just builds and builds, and
seems to keep on building before appropriately exploding into a finish
nothing short of cathartic. Stereotypical post-rock climax it ainÆt,
IÆll just say that.
æGo ComplexÆ displays a new side of the band, too, boasting a clear
house music influence - yet another thing no-one could have expected.
TheyÆve discovered a dancier side, while still managing to maintain all
the emotion that theyÆve conveyed in their music. This is a euphoric
album, in stark contrast to the often ominous and brooding territory
that came before.
Slow-burning penultimate track æDebutanteÆ proves to be one of the
recordÆs highlights, indulging in ambience before needling synths
announce the arrival of glitchy drums (that combine with JonesÆ rhythms
to the extent you canÆt tell which is which). Simon WrightÆs excellent
bass-work is given a chance to shine as ghostly choral backing lends a
dreamlike atmosphere to the song, and it is in this way that it
concludes - before going straight into the albumÆs closer.
æTiger GirlÆ is 65 at their finest. While it goes into territory
heretofore unexplored by the quartet, it is an exercise in progression
and song structure that easily ranks among their best work. Its ten
minutes culminate in an ironically gentle release, as the song grows
through electronic soundscapes and then reaches climax point, only to
throw the listener for a loop, building to such intensity and then
quietly fading away. It may not be the equal of the superlative æRadio
ProtectorÆ, but it comes quite close.
65daysofstatic have been all but completely transformed, and æWe Were
Exploding AnywayÆ shows us a band that are reinvigorated. Some would
say they have never sounded so vital, and there are times here where
youÆre just left wondering, why arenÆt these guys more well-known? This
album sets out to defy expectations, telling its listeners that
everything they thought they knew about its creators was wrong. ItÆs
that much of a curveball - just what they needed.
sire@hush.ai